Solid state light sources offer tremendous advantages over conventional lighting technologies. Of course, some of those advantages come at a cost. One cost of using solid state light sources is that solid state light sources generate heat, sometimes tremendous amounts of heat. Typically, lamps and luminaires that use solid state light sources include thermal management systems, such as but not limited to metal heat sinks. These metal heat sinks are typically large and heavy, including a number of fins to increase surface area and thus dissipate more heat. The larger the heat sink, the more heat that is able to be dissipated, and the more solid state light sources and/or the higher power solid state light sources are able to be used in the lamp or luminaire. Simultaneously, the larger the heat sink, the harder it is to fit the heat sink in a more traditionally sized lamp profile (e.g., a classic A19 Edison light bulb) and/or a more traditionally sized luminaire space (e.g., a six-inch ceiling can).
Alternatives to using a metal heat sink to dissipate heat generated by solid state light sources include thermal management systems based on active cooling elements (e.g., small fans that circulate air through the lamp/luminaire) and thermal management systems based on one or more cooling liquids. In the case of a cooling liquid, the liquid may be passed over or around the solid state light sources, gathering heat, and then, in an active system incorporating a pump or similar device, taken away and cooled, and then returned. Alternatively, the cooling liquid may be heated and evaporated, and then condensed, as in a conventional thermosyphon.